Integrated care: a proposal for a European research agenda

Summary Since 1999 concepts, theories and empirical research on integrated care came up in the research world. Their main applications were related to chronic patients and elderly. Emergency care and oncological care were less investigated from an integrated care perspective. Now at least four research questions are unanswered. They relate to payment systems, disease management versus care for the elderly, organizational structures versus networks and implementation on national level. These four questions are suggested as components for a European research agenda.